Beautiful Things

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Kansas City. I got out my roller blades, and headed out on the trail in our backyard to enjoy it. As the wind rippled around me, I could almost hear God's voice and see His hands in the trees and the glorious sky around me. It was beautiful.

Have you ever fixed your heart on something?

Not just thought about it, not just admired it, not just praised it and not even just spent time learning about it more deeply...... but truly set your eyes on it?  Have your heartstrings ever become so tangled in something that nothing could pull you away?

Focus is difficult. A couple weeks ago, Joshua Kawase and I had been having a very energetic conversation at our apologetics Bible study, at the end of which we jokingly "decided" that we both had ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder] because neither of us could focus on anything. Although this was on a more humorous note, I have noticed that focus is almost impossible without a fighting effort.

How many times have you ever fixed your heart on God?

What does it mean to fix your heart on something?  Last summer, I was talking to Anna Bell about this idea, and one point in the conversation really stood out to me: "You know, if you really love someone that much, you can't get them off your mind. No matter how hard you try. You watch a movie, and you're subconsciously making connections between the story plot and them. You hear their name and your heart can't stand still. You find out they're on the other side of the world, and suddenly you're there, too."

When love controls the relationship, focus no longer has to be a struggle. You can't help but focus on it. Think about some of those things...... when you watch a movie, even if it's not a Christian film, do you watch for God's hand in it?  When you hear His name, does it stir your heart?  When you find out He's on the other side of the world in a third-world nation, are you there, too?  Does your heart fill with His burdens, to the extent that you would take up a cross and go to Bangladesh if that's where your Beloved was?

Focus has always been hard during my devotional time. A few weeks ago, my distraction levels were really beginning to skyrocket. Every time I would sit down to pray, my mind would always wander to what other people might be doing at that moment, the funny things that so-and-so had said that day, or what in the world I was going to wear to the Regionals banquet. I couldn't focus on God without thoughts of something else creeping in. My friend asked me how my prayer life was going, and I admitted that weeds of distraction had really been overtaking my garden. She suggested turning on some quiet worship music during my devotional time. "Just be enamored by the presence of God!  Reflect on Him, and love Him and just spend time in His arms listening to His voice. I can't wait for Heaven ever since I started doing that, because that's what it's going to be like every day!" 

Yesterday, on my roller blades, I realized for maybe the first time that focus isn't even always a fight when it's controlled by love. I didn't have to make a conscious effort to THINK OF NOTHING BUT GOD and if you think of anything else YOU ARE A FAILURE, as I had been telling myself before. I was in love with Him. In that moment, I didn't need to focus on anything else.

I think this is the fourth week in a row that I've talked about the life of a Catholic saint in a devotional, and I realized I probably have a lot of you questioning my affiliation with Protestantism at this point..... so!  I promise to use a Protestant example next week. ;)  But I think Pope John Paul II really lived this kind of focus out more realistically than anyone I've heard of. Catholic author Matthew Kelly wrote that, after receiving communion, the Pope would kneel down, and "disappear" into a deep place within himself. He was so enamored with the presence of God in that moment that, even in the middle of a loud football stadium with thousands of people around him, he could find that quiet place inside is heart where is Beloved was. And when he was in that place, nothing could ever pull him away. After all, why would you become distracted by something a human said when you were in the presence of God Himself?  Mother Theresa also seemed to have found this quiet place within herself, where her King was. No matter where she was, she was never afraid to pray, and never too distracted to spend time focusing on the one she loved. This time with her Creator was the source of her strength. It was through this that she was truly able to love the people around her; to truly see each person as Christ and be able to invest her life in them, even if it was just one.

Have you ever thought about the fact that there is the same quiet place within your heart?  Maybe you've never unlocked it, or maybe your heart is so filled with noise and distractions that you've never been able to embrace its solitude, but it's there. You only have to discover it. Your God created it, and He knows exactly where it is. He has beautiful things in store for those who find it, and is willing to show the way to anyone who asks.

In two days, the largest region-wide tournament of the 2014 season is going to begin. What do you want to accomplish?  What are your goals?  Are you after anything deeper than just a slot to the next tournament, or a little commemorative trophy?

If you have time, I'd encourage you to revisit a couple of these devotionals from our Tournaments 101 series as you're thinking about your goals:

Reach!  (by Patience)

Why Did I Say That? (joint effort of Hannah and Gentle)

Glorifying God (by Hannah)

Look Outside (by Ellen)

The Calling: A Reflection on My Heart (poem by Magali)

Victorious (by Hannah)

This week, each one of us has a unique opportunity to leave a lasting fingerprint on someone else's heart. God has beautiful things in store for you, if you allow Him to unlock them.

Can you think of anything more precious and beautiful than nearness to the heart of God?  He's willing to bring that to you this week, if you reach for it. I would encourage you to make it one of your goals to focus on God; that's at the top of my list. But as you're doing that, don't exert your efforts into thinking about nothing but Him..... pour yourself into loving Him.

I can't wait to see what happens when you do!!!

"I found the one my heart loves;

I held Him, and would not let Him go."